The present invention relates to skateboards and in particular to a skateboard truck providing improved stability and ride.
Riding skateboards is a very popular recreational activity among young people. Participants in extreme sports events perform acrobatic maneuvers involving jumps, twists, and turns requiring great skill and athleticism. Other events involve high speed runs down hills where speeds have reach 80 miles per hour.
The skateboards are supported by wheels connected to the skateboard by trucks. Known trucks include a base plate which is attached to a skateboard deck and a hanger connected to the base plate and carrying wheels. The hanger includes a pivot which engages the base plate at an angle and a kingpin which sandwiches a ring portion of the hanger between kingpin bushings. The kingpin bushings allow limited motion of the hanger with respect to the base plate, and the angled pivot couples rolling the skateboard deck along a deck centerline into turning the hanger left and right to steer the skateboard.
Unfortunately, the kingpin bushings allow horizontal motion of the hanger with respect to the base plate which results in altering the geometry of the truck causing instabilities and inconsistent handling, especially at high speeds and in radical maneuvers. Additionally, the kingpin bushings carry most of the riders weight resulting in transfer of compression from the upper kingpin bushing to the lower kingpin bushing. When additional weight is applied to the truck, the transfer of compression changes, and the handling characteristics of the board change because the ride height and hanger pivot angle are determined by the compressed bottom bushing length, resulting in unpredictable turning. The maximum length of the kingpin bushings is also limited by the change in geometry experienced when the kingpin bushings are compressed, limiting a rider's ability to turn.
Thus a need is present for a more stable skateboard truck.